In a stunning reversal, the operator of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant admitted for the first time Friday that it had made errors of judgment that contributed to one of the world’s worst nuclear accidents last year.

[Tecpo] said in a report that the company failed to adequately prepare for a disaster and that it knew it wasn’t prepared, and yet it did nothing, out of fear for the economic and social consequences.

“There was a worry that if the company were to implement a severe-accident response plan, it would spur anxiety throughout the country and in the community where the plant is sited, and lend momentum to the antinuclear movement,” said the report, explaining what it described as the “underlying reasons” Tepco didn’t have a good plan for such accidents.

That makes as much sense as claiming that American football players should take off their helmets and pads because protective gear implies that football is a dangerous activity.

The Journal continues:

The report represents a shift in stance for Tepco, which had continued to maintain it had done its best to prevent an accident from happening—despite repeated criticism from government and private-sector panels that studied events.

[6] Tepco and the Japanese government was the cause of the Fukushima disaster: http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/japanese-parliamentary-inquiry-fukushima-disaster-caused-by-collusion-among-government-regulators-and-tepco.html

[7] huge role in dictating Japanese nuclear policy: http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/10/american-government-is-dictating-japanese-nuclear-policy.html